Player Preview - Wiggins

[bleedspeed]

http://www.canishoopus.com/2015/9/17/9336795/minnesota-timberwolves-player-preview-andrew-wiggins

Good article. Part that stood out to me was that he was a worse then average defender near the hoop. I expect he will improve on that with the additional length and strength. I hope we get a good sample of Shabazz and Wiggins lineups this year.

[Lipoli390]

Good article. My only disagreement t is the suggestion that Wiggins will benefit from having Tyus Jones on the team. I don't expect Tyus to contribute anything this season. And I think he's a long shot for ever becoming a good NBA player. Otherwise, a healthy Rubio and Shabazz along with a more mature LaVine should help Wiggins. And it sure looks like Wiggins is putting in the work this summer. After playing for Canada this summer, he'll be sharper than most coming into training camp.

[bleedspeed]

I am in agreement with you on Tyus.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

While I agree with Lip and Bleed that Tyus Jones should not be a contributor this year (hopefully, with a healthy Rubio, Miller and LaVine, he doesn't have to be), I don't see him at all as a long shot to be a good player in the NBA. While he needs to mature physically (as most teenagers do), he has been highly successful at every level he has played at, including being the key player in a NCAA championship game. 538.com ranked him 13th in potential in this year's draft class, and gave him only a 27% chance of being a bust...slightly lower than their bust percentage for Towns (both are given about a 27 % chance of being an NBA starter, although in all fairness, they give Towns a much better chance of being an NBA star...I agree). This year's first round draft picks (the guys who have been on the court with him the most over the past 5 years and know his game best) named him as the second best playmaker in this year's draft, just behind Russell and ahead of several highly-touted PGs like Mudiay. With his track record of success, rave reviews from his peers, and solid ratings from the always statistically sound 538.com, I have a difficult time understanding a conclusion that he is a long shot to be even a good NBA player. It seems to me that there is a much more compelling case that Tyus is not going to do a complete 180 from the way he has always performed, and instead is going to be a very solid NBA player.

[bleedspeed]

LST - I see Jones having to develop like Nash. Nash really had nothing going for him to make him a star expect for working hard on his shot and doing the most with his average skills. If he makes it he will make it because of what is in between the ears. He doesn't have room for error due to his lack of physical attributes. I feel the odds are very long for him to be more then a bit player that hangs around the league.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

LST - I see Jones having to develop like Nash. Nash really had nothing going for him to make him a star expect for working hard on his shot and doing the most with his average skills. If he makes it he will make it because of what is in between the ears. He doesn't have room for error due to his lack of physical attributes. I feel the odds are very long for him to be more then a bit player that hangs around the league.

Agree. It's very tough for a perimeter player to make a big impact when he has literally zero physical advantages. In Tyus's case, he has average to below average height and length; below average quickness; and below average strength. I think an upside comparison would be someone like Jameer Nelson or Luke Ridnour, both of whom at their peaks were very solid rotation PGs. And I suppose that would be a reasonable outcome for a late 1st round pick. I just didn't like the fact we gave up three 2nds, including two very high 2nds, for him.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Bleed- I like your comparison to Steve Nash. I have had the privilege to watch only two pre-draft workouts...Paul Grant and Steve Nash, and they couldn't have been any more different. The Grant workout was terrible, and of course we ended up drafting him. But the Nash workout was extraordinary. We had the 5th pick that year (which ended up being Marbury by way of Allen), so I wasn't quite sure why we were working out this skinny guy who didn't project to be a lottery pick. But after watching him for a half hour, I was hoping we could execute a trade to find a way to get him (he ended up going 15th). Similar to Tyus, it was difficult imagining this undeveloped kid playing in the NBA, but also similar to Tyus, his floor presence and playmaking skills made me look past his physical shortcomings. Sure enough, Nash struggled in his first four years to adapt to the NBA game, but we all know what happened after that. I'm not saying Jones is going to be Nash, but I'm also not discounting the possibility. And like Nash, I expect him to really hit his stride 3-4 years into his career. While both have physical limitations, Nash wasn't even close to having Tyus' pedigree or wide acclaim as a teenager. And that's why he ended up at Santa Clara, rather than Duke, and out of the lottery. There are a lot of similarities between the two, positive and negative, and I would be careful about writing this kid off too early. All opinions are welcome on this board, but I lean toward the positive reports from his peers over the negative projections on this board. I think Flip's getting him in exchange for a few second rounders amounts to grand theft larceny.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

LST, There is absolute best-case scenario and most-likely case scenario. Just because Nash was one exception out of hundreds doesn't mean Tyus Jones will be.

Also, Nash probably flew under the radar because he was a white kid in Canada that didn't pick up a basketball until he was in 7th grade. He didn't fit into the narrow paradigm that scouts were comfortable with at the time.

I think Jones is a classic case of a great floor general at the AAU/High School/College level that will have a difficult time having similar success in the NBA. Solid backup material? Perhaps. Steve Nash or anything even close? No way.

[Carlos Danger]

Personally I'd like to see Tyus actually play a few games in the NBA before I decide what he can and can't be. Plenty of guys who are drafted high flop. And plenty of guys who are drafted low or go undrafted turn out just fine. Hard work and right situation can assist a player in succeeding. Everything I've read indicates he's got the work ethic. And I think this is a good (low pressure) situation for him to land in with a coach/GM in Flip that believes in him.

[bleedspeed]

Personally I'd like to see Tyus actually play a few games in the NBA before I decide what he can and can't be. Plenty of guys who are drafted high flop. And plenty of guys who are drafted low or go undrafted turn out just fine. Hard work and right situation can assist a player in succeeding. Everything I've read indicates he's got the work ethic. And I think this is a good (low pressure) situation for him to land in with a coach/GM in Flip that believes in him.

CD - We need your answer today. It can't wait 10 years.